Any recommendations for a n00b?

Hey guys,

I'm quite new to comic books, and I need a bit of help. I've been reading graphic novels for quite a while now and decided to go down to one of my local comic book shops recently here in London to try out some comics. They have a large selection and good prices, so I picked out a range of stuff, some good, and some not so good. I enjoy the well known such as Batman, Spiderman etc but am looking for more to widen my collection. Have you guys got any recommendations of what I should take a look at?

if they have it, "House of M". its not a long series but it blew my mind 0.o. also try "Origins- history of wolverine" or something like that. i don't know much about comic books either, just the big stuff that everyone should know like the death of joker and stuff. (JOKER- BEST VILLAIN EVER)

Marvel's ultimates is a good read if you havent seen it before. It's a alternative world reboot of the avengers. A bit darker with more adult themes though.
The Thunderbolts (and now Dark avengers) is also worth a look in if you like villain redemption (or not) stories.

Please do check out the all British 2000AD comics.

i'm sure you'll have heard of Judge Dredd? He's in there...

You can also fins seperate prinitings of the entire stories of the individual characters from over the years.

Rogue Trooper
Slaine
Nemesis
Judge Anderson

and many others.

Waterstones currently have a 'bumper' issue if you want a taster..

if you want a more serious comic check out The Punisher, but make sure its the max line thats an excellent read and excellent art. also if your new a good piece of advice is to check out everything, but try not to get to overloaded and in debt. stick to mini series and one of's until you get your flavor and then decided if you want to follow a monthly title.

personally i have given up on monthly titles and mainly read miniseries and graphic novels. the monthly stories and yearly events dont intrest me anymore.

Hey

My opinion?

Simple go into that lovely bookstore, dont search (of course, look for the good onces the others put in the thread also), but. one time: dont search, simple put your hand over the books and:

lol the right one will jump into your hand

NW

Matt Wager's Grendel --- though not a current comic by any standards, so back issues and the graphic novels. my favorite comic series of all time
The Boys --- i think there still putting out new ones not sure.

The Invisibles, by Grant Morrison; incredible read, thought provoking, and I don't even really like comics.

reply to post by Anonymous ATS


Also, Batman Death in the Family. Great story.

LOBO Comics

FTMFW!

I'm just a huge fan. Its hilarious and full of smut, action and foul language.
Although, you have to find back issues.
I haven't found new ones yet.
My collection spans 5 years. ( from 10 years ago)

But, I am an classic comic reader. I haven't made my way into newer ones yet. (although alot look good)

If you want a good serious/funny story with ALOT of characters you will recognize I recommend Booster Gold

Booster Gold is a story about a time traveller that is very egotistic but has to make special events take place...sometimes he has to save superhero's lives when they are kids...the catch is he can't take the credit for any of it

If you liek Superman and can handle the stigma I recommend working on Supergirl...teenage angst...super powers...awesome

Then there are the basics such as Fantastic Four, the MYRIAD X-Men titles...

A good place to start in the marvel universe is to pick a character or villain you love and find their origin story...

WARNING: THESE CAN RANGE FROM A COUPLE OF DOLLARS TO THOUSANDS

It all depends who you pick

I myself love horror comics too...Romero = good horror comics

The Walking Dead series

Also don't get stuck on major names...check out Dark Horse or other indy comics...I hate when you ask someone their favorite character and it is always Wolverine or Gambit...branch out...spread out...try new things

I heart my Buffy Comics and my wife loves her Grim Fairy Tales

-Kyo

[edit on 27-12-2009 by KyoZero]

Check out the sandman series by neil gainman. It has a great story and the graphic novels don't have to be read in order. For example you could pick up number 9 and get into it without reading anything in the series before. I highlty recomend number 8 Worlds end. And also check out the hellboy and preacher series too all great reads.

Definately agree with SANDMAN series.

I find Fables and Lucifer and CONSTANTINE to be winners

VERTIGO

I don't much go for the real big Marvel and DC long runners, though I do have a couple of the more notable Batman graphic novels (Dark Knight Returns and Batman Year One). I like the series that ran for like five years then came to an end. I find these a lot better than the never ending series because you get a real feel for the characters and get an ending. Here are some of the series I've really enjoyed:

Sandman: As someone mentioned above Sandman is incredible. 10 volumes, a ton of interesting storylines. Like the poster above mentioned you don't have to read it in order, but I wouldn't recommend starting with volumes 9 or 10, save those for last so they have more impact. Also, if you go through the series in chronological order you'll be better prepared for when characters come back. That's the really awesome thing about the series, it's very intricately woven and once you finish it you see how everything effects everything else.

100 Bullets: Imagine this happens: a man comes up to you and says he knows who wronged you, he knows who destroyed your life. He gives you their picture and a gun with 100 untraceable bullets. If the cops investigate a crime and find one of the bullets, they'll back off. So, what do you do? That scenario gets played out many times during this series. It starts kind of shaky, but once it gets into the actual plot of the series. It gets really good. It's all about conspiracy and revenge, a group of vicious soldiers/hitmen who kept the powers at be in check until the powers decided they didn't need them anymore. Good stuff.

Fables: I really love Fables. I don't know why, but I do. The basic premise is that all fables, fairytales and myths are real. They used to live in other worlds until The Adversary came and conquered their homes. Some of them made it out and into our world and there they live. It might sound stupid or like it's for children, but it's pretty good. It's still running and some folks don't like the direction it's gone in, but I still enjoy it. The only thing I don't like much is the art. It's not bad, except Mark Buckingham is really bad at drawing one of the character's face and it always annoys me. Just a warning, don't bother with the spin-off series Jack of Fables. It's awful.

Preacher: A lot of people don't like Garth Ennis and their reasons are understandable: he's really juvenile. Still, Preacher is a lot of fun. If you don't might a lot of blasphemy, nudity, profanity and over-the-top violence then you'll probably have a good time with Preacher. Just don't expect anything intellectually stimulating.

Y: The Last Man: Every man on Earth dies, except for one, this is his story. Interesting and the characters are well written. With this series I never got that "I NEED to know what happens next!" feeling, but it's still good and the end is solid.

League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: DO NOT LET THE AWFUL MOVIE SCARE YOU AWAY. The first two volumes of LXG are awesome, especially the second one. It's filled with action and adventure. Whether you know the characters or get all the references is not an issue because these books are fun either way. I was really disappointed with the third installment, the Black Dossier, but the fourth (which is part of a three part series) is mostly a return to form). At least try the first two volumes, they're definitely worth it.

Also wanted to second someone's mention of The Walking Dead. Great series, wonderfully drawn and very, very dark.

You should try out Dark Horse's Falling Skies. This is more of a webcomic than a traditional print comic(though I do have a hard copy of the first issue), but it is of excellent quality.

It is written by longtime Dark Horse cohort, Mark Verheiden (Aliens Vs. Predator, My Name Is Bruce), the series storyboards the harrowing events of an alien invasion, which places Tom Mason, and his three sons, Hal, Ben and Matt in a struggle to survive as they fight back against the aliens.

After the attack, the aliens kidnap Ben. Determined to find his missing son, Tom joins 2nd Mass, a group of soldiers and civilians struggling against an occupying alien force. However, supplies are running low, and Tom must locate an old friend to equip his team, and ensure the human race will persevere!

I am a big fan of Sci Fi(I read it constantly) and comics and where the two meet semi-realistically is my favorite type of fiction. I work for the marketing team that is covering this campaign for Dark Horse and TNT, and I have a hard copy of issue #1 sitting on my desk as we speak
To check the comic for yourself go to:

www.tnt.tv...

Also Fanbolt has a trailer for the upcoming series debuting this summer: www.fanbolt.com...

i dont know why i enjoy em ..but fantastic four is always a solid book..and current to last 2 years are great..the punisher is always a blast for quick smartly written(usually) action..great reads.elephantmen is solid..atomic-robo is fun read..planet hulk is an enjoyable run..anything after that is a major letdown in the hulk storyline..beware wolverine and deadpool..oversaturation of market..i love these guys but not seeing them everywhere..i enjoyed all star batman and boy wonder..gritty good times...then you have your staples..dark knight and sequel..kingdom come is good read..and check out some of the newer cartoon movies..all star superman is ripped exactly outta the books of the same name and is brilliant..

If you're into horror, check out Twisted Tales from Pacific Comics and any old EC horror comic.

Originally posted by SaulGoodman
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: DO NOT LET THE AWFUL MOVIE SCARE YOU AWAY. The first two volumes of LXG are awesome, especially the second one. It's filled with action and adventure. Whether you know the characters or get all the references is not an issue because these books are fun either way. I was really disappointed with the third installment, the Black Dossier, but the fourth (which is part of a three part series) is mostly a return to form). At least try the first two volumes, they're definitely worth it.

I LOVED the movie! But since I watched it before reading the books, I actually had trouble getting into them. I disliked the second one because of the giant, live stuffed animals.

If PeaceUK is still here, I would like to recommend Rex Mundi. I just picked up the first 3 trade paperbacks and I love them.

en.wikipedia.org...

Originally posted by Extralien
Please do check out the all British 2000AD comics.

i'm sure you'll have heard of Judge Dredd? He's in there...

You can also fins seperate prinitings of the entire stories of the individual characters from over the years.

Rogue Trooper
Slaine
Nemesis
Judge Anderson

and many others.

Waterstones currently have a 'bumper' issue if you want a taster..

I still have my DR and Quinch badge A much prized possession, though cheaply made, as freebies usually are, so a touch rusty.

I've just started Grandville by Brian Talbot, who did some of the Slaine series for 2000AD. It is about Detective Inspector Le Brock of Scotland Yard, a Sherlock Holmes-esq badger (Talbot uses the J J Grandville paintings of upright animals as his reality).

It seems very good so far, I've already got the sequel, Grandville Mon Amour, so I do expect great things. 2000AD set a very high bench mark (ALAN MOORE KNOWS THE SCORE!) in my opinion.